This disclosure relates to detecting defects or discontinuities and their position in media or at the interface of multi-media.
Traditional computerized tomography, also known as computed tomography or “CT”, is a term used herein to refer to a type of approach (not limited to computed or computer based, etc.) using “open” or free-space transmission of ultrasound or x-ray beams in a relatively confined area is known, and is used to great effect in the medical arts, for example. Traditional CT technology usually employs large number of projections from different angles to enhance resolution and show detailed structure of the object under investigation. Its objects, on the other hand, are usually very complicated such as human body, which also demand high resolution.
Further, Time Domain Reflectometry/Time Domain Transmission (TDR/TDT) is a known technique often used for determining the continuity or discontinuity of a transmission line, e.g., an antenna line or other transmission cable used in various electrical applications.
However, these individually powerful techniques are not known by the present inventor in combination in a way that would allow their use in detecting discontinuities and defects in various media on a relatively large scale, i.e., on a scale much greater than that which would be allowed in a confined clinical setting. Such large scale applications include, for example, a dam, building foundation, or a pipeline, to name just a few.